3 tips for capturing wedding rings

As a wedding photographer, my job is to capture memories of the day. One of the biggest symbols of marriage is the wedding band. The ring means "I do" and "I vow to spend the rest of my life with you". It is also a huge part of the engagement and it deserves some attention on the wedding day too.

Some rings are also family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation and mean even more to the family. In my opinion, the rings should be given a level of respect and captured in such a way that the beauty of the rings can carry on for a lifetime.

When I capture the rings I stick to these 3 simple rules and I try to do this at each and every wedding.

1. Move the ring around and capture it in more than one place. This gives your bride and groom a variety of images and adds visual interest to the album when all the photos are done. Try to incorporate the invitations or something that says where the wedding was held. Including the venue is a nice shot to capture because for years it will have a story to go along with those rings.

2. Show the details of the band. When the groom picked out the ring he decided to give to his wife to be he didn't just look at the ring straight on and say that's the one based on the diamond at the top. He looked at the band, the kind of metal, and the type of setting. Every piece of the ring has a story to tell and sometimes there is even something engraved in the rings. Make sure you show those things because they mean so much to a couple you are capturing that day.

3. Location, Location, Location!!!

Make sure the shots of the rings go with the flow of the wedding. If you are shooting an outdoor wedding in the middle of spring you aren't going to take pictures of the rings in a dark moody setting. You need to shoot those rings with flowers and in light and airy spaces to mimic the mood of the day. Also if the wedding takes place in a moody venue don't shoot the rings on a white tablecloth or bright areas light them with LED lights and add some drama to those rings. Making everything flow as if it is apart of the same story book is a great thing.

So find a good macro lens and give your bride and groom a shot to remember! Always think of what you would want on your wedding day and shoot each wedding like it is the most important one you have ever shot no matter how many weddings you shoot each year.